How to Train a Cat to Walk on a Leash

It’s rare to see anyone walking their cat on a leash, but cats can be trained to do it. There are some good reasons to do it that benefit both you and your feline. Cats don’t take to leash training as quickly as dogs, but with consistency and time, you can train your cat to tolerate a leash and take you on a walk at its pace and where it wants to go.

Good Reasons to Leash Train Your Cat

Walking a cat on a leash isn’t just a party trick. It’s a healthy activity for you and your cat. Here’s how:

• It gets you both outdoors exercising instead of cat-napping.
• It expands your cat’s horizons, getting them the mental stimulation of new sights, sounds, and smells.
• Sunlight is good for your mental and physical health, and your kitty’s as well.
• With more stimulation, your cat will be less bored and destructive at home.
• It’s good bonding time between you and your pet.
• It stops your cat from killing birds and other small animals and potentially catching diseases from them.
• It protects your cat from getting into fights with dogs or cats outdoors.
• It keeps you on better terms with neighbors who may not want an unleashed cat wandering around their yard.
• If your cat is prone to wandering far from home, keeping them on a leash will prevent them from getting lost.

Can Older Cats Be Leash Trained?

Leash training works best when you start with a kitten, but given enough time and patience, most cats can be trained regardless of age. It just takes longer with older and more stubborn cats. Expect to spend weeks on this project, but don’t give up if it stretches into months. Sometimes that’s what it takes.

Desensitizing

Look for a harness that fits snugly but still allows you to fit two fingers between your cat’s body and the harness. Your cat will be startled and resistant if you bring out a harness and just start putting it on. Instead, desensitize the cat to this new thing by letting them smell it and leaving it in safe and familiar places. For example, put it next to their food and water bowls, in the place where they sleep, or beside their toys.

Wearing the Harness and Leash

The first time you put it on, your cat might just flop over and refuse to move, or it might struggle and run away and hide. But food can win your kitty over. Give it a tasty treat so it will associate putting on the harness with good things to come. Don’t overdo the training. Just leave the gear on for a few minutes the first day and gradually a little longer each day until the animal is comfortable wearing it. Once your cat thinks the harness is no big deal, attach the leash and let them drag it around the house to get used to the feeling.

Walking Around the House

Once your cat is comfortably wearing its harness and dragging a leash around the house, try picking up the leash lightly and following your cat around holding it. What if you have a lazy kitty that doesn’t walk around the house much? Try motivating it by tossing a treat on the floor so the cat will walk in that direction. When your cat is active, now and then stop it from moving forward by letting it reach the end of the leash and not moving, but don’t pull on the cat.

Walking Outdoors

Start slow. Just walk around your yard with your cat or in a quiet park with no dogs in sight. You don’t want your cat to have a negative experience that will make them afraid to go outdoors. Every time you leave the house, even just to your yard, pick the cat up; don’t let it walk over the threshold by itself. This teaches the cat it only goes outside when it’s harnessed, and when you allow it. Otherwise, your cat might start to like the outdoors and make a dash for the door any time you open it.

Cat Walking Tips

Here are a few pointers to help you have more enjoyable walks with your cat:

• Your cat might show signs of fear, like putting its ears back, fluffing its tail, or crouching down and refusing to move. If a treat doesn’t calm it down, go back indoors and try again another day.
• Don’t go out with a specific direction in mind. Let your cat take the lead rather than trying to force it where you want to go. And it’s ok if what the cat wants to do is lay down in a warm patch of sun.
• Don’t pull on the leash to force your cat to move. Both of you will just get frustrated.
• Stay attentive to other dogs or cats approaching. Try to move in another direction, and be ready to pick up your cat before a fight starts.
• Some people find it advantageous to bring along a backpack cat carrier to put their animal in if it gets frightened or is too tired to walk home.
• Cats generally don’t take well to wearing booties. Winter walks should be brief to prevent frostbite.

Your Cat Will Train You

Training your cat to walk on a leash is something you can definitely do if you’re willing to be patient. But you also have to be willing to be trained by your cat. It may take weeks or months, but your cat will finally be able to teach you to slow down and notice interesting things that are worth smelling and watching. And you’ll learn to obey your cat, sit down in the sun, and let yourself grow drowsy. It will be enough to make you want to purr.